In my opinion, using windows server is only a disadvantage. Linux is the preferred server OS for almost any application. You will find a larger knowledge base online for both Linux and running all that software in Linux. Windows really only has a place as an exchange server IMO, and even then you can find a better option probably.
That being said, I will also recommend Debian.
This is layered… Not only will the kids grow up incorrectly believing that the earth is flat, they are also going to grow up resenting people that disagree with what their parents say, eventually they may even resent their parents for forcing their false beliefs on them and making them look foolish in front of their peers.
Use dd on the entire disk?